Entrepreneurs During the Holidays

TIS the season. That’s what everybody’s going to start saying right about now. For businesspeople, this is the season for anxiety, stress, chaos, and uncertainty, especially for the small business owner, or should I say micro-business owner because, in this country, a small business is a business that has made 500 million or less. So, we’re just going to call them micro businesses. It is the season for all the above, but it could also be great as well. One of the first points I want you to understand is that as entrepreneurs, you’re not like everybody else. Why do I say this? For example, you’re going to be looking online and you’re going to see regular people getting prepared to take vacations, or special trips, doing certain things that you probably have to forfeit this year. Not because you don’t have the money, not because you don’t want to take your family anywhere, or you don’t want to go and visit your family and friends, the reason trips may not be on the menu for you is because you have made a commitment.

You made a commitment above a lot of other commitments that anybody else would make, and that commitment that you’ve made, like all commitments, requires some sacrifice. And what people don’t tell you, is when you go out to become an entrepreneur, you’re going to sacrifice vacations, you’re going to sacrifice seeing your kid’s basketball game, recital, or spending time with your spouse. This is not all the time, but especially in the beginning, especially if you dug in and you really committed to that vision that was placed upon you. You’re really going to have it hard this year, especially if you’re in the beginning season of being a full-time entrepreneur, you understand that spending obsessively is not a smart idea, and neither is buying any elaborate gifts. This year might not be the best year for you and for your family. Again, I want to encourage you going into this holiday season as a business owner and help you to understand that you’re not like everybody else.

You are a visionary. A vision has been placed on you that no one else around you have seen. The people you’re watching on social media, the people that you are looking at next door, your neighbors are getting prepared for the holiday season and are decorating their houses. They’re doing all these things and you’re sitting in your home crunching the numbers. You’re working. You’re working on Thanksgiving. You have plans to make progress on a project. You have a contract that is still open on Christmas Day. There is a lot to be done.

Secondly, be encouraged and keep your vision in front of you because what’s going on, on the side and the left and right of you, can be distracting. So, keep your vision in front of you and understand what you made the sacrifice for.

Thirdly and most importantly, I truly want you to enjoy the process. These are the moments that are going to make your next Christmas and next Thanksgiving, or the next holiday season that much more amazing. When you finally get a chance to take that time off and you finally get a chance to take that vacation, you will enjoy it that much more. You will do it that much harder, that much bigger, that much better. Even your family, friends, and loved ones are going to take it a whole lot more seriously because they are going to understand the sacrifice that has been made to get them to this place. And you’ll appreciate it. More importantly, you’ll be able to show someone else that’s coming behind you, the benefits of true sacrifices. So, in this season, understand that you’re not like everybody else. You are an entrepreneur; you are a visionary. You are a go-getter. Live in that, appreciate that, honor that and enjoy your holiday season. TIS the season.